The invention relates to a conveyor system comprising electrically driven conveyor cars whose container space is accepts files and/or transports goods having similar dimensions or, respectively, similar weight and is closeable by means of a cover, and comprising interrogation means allocated to branching locations of the transport line for the interrogation of destination information input into conveyor car-associated destination memories at dispatch stations by means of manually actuatable setting means.
Such conveyor systems are preferably employed for intramural transport within buildings, whereby station means typically discharge into main lines via branching locations of the transport line and said station means usually represent combined dispatch and receiving stations.
Locking the cover of the transport container in such conveyor systems is undertaken for reasons of operating reliability; given an unclosed cover, the transport goods could fall out of the container space, particularly in regions of the transport line in which the conveyor cars run in a suspended (inverted) position. In known conveyor cars, the locking is achieved by means of a bent-back edge surface of the cover onto which a safety latch attached to the outside of the container space can be pushed. In its operating position, the safety latch actuates a contact mechanism for monitoring the closed position; when the contact mechanism is not actuated, the drive circuit for the conveyor car cannot be activated.
It cannot be assured in known conveyor systems that the cover will not be opened on the path between a dispatch station and a receiving station. Such opening can be due to improper locking of the cover or to an intentional or unintentional actuation of the latch. In particular, an unauthorized opening of the transport container by persons not authorized to do so is conceivable. Under given conditions, this possibility of unauthorized access to the container space of such conveyor cars can restrict the scope of employment of such conveyor systems, since a line layout in which all sections of the transport line are placed in parts of a building secured against unauthorized access is frequently impossible. This problem could be resolved in that the transport containers are lockably designed. The outlay for this purpose, however, must be viewed as being relatively high, particularly when these locks are to offer high security against unauthorized opening.
A high degree of security against unauthorized access without the employment of locks at the container spaces is achieved in a conveyor system known from German published application No. 30 47 433 in that those sections of the transport lines in which unauthorized access would be possible are placed in the ceiling region of the rooms so that every truck travels in a suspended position in these sections; in this case a latch member is mounted in the container space, this engaging in a catch contour of the latch or of the cover to effect an additional latching under the influence of gravitational force when the conveyor car proceeds into its suspended position. Since the latch is not accessible from the outside, all undesired opening of the coVer due to obstacles extending into the conveying path or due to opening by unauthorized persons is reliably avoided. This safeguarding of the conveyor cars against unauthorized opening, however, does not enable an entirely free selection of the line layout since the transport lines must be disposed such that the conveyor cars run suspended in all sections in which supervision of the conveyor cars situated on the lines is not possible--particularly in sections where outsiders have access.
Other prior art references of interest include: German patent application No. 24 30 378, dated Dec. 21, 1978; German published application No. 28 13 420, published Oct. 4, 1979; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,474,877, issued Oct. 26, 1969.